Ever been stuck on hold, listening to some “relaxing” background music, slowly losing your patience while an AI chatbot keeps looping the same useless responses?
You know the feeling. You wait. And wait. And when you finally get through to someone? They either read from a script or - worse - never actually answer your question.
Or maybe you never even get a human at all. Just an AI chatbot that insists on misunderstanding you.
Yeah, me too.
That’s exactly the kind of experience I never wanted my company to create.
But here’s the thing -customer support and customer experience are not the same thing.
One of my advisors, Karl Evans, put it best:
Support is about fixing problems. Experience is about how you make customers feel - even when things go wrong.
Whether you’re running a startup or you’re a seasoned entrepreneur, I think you’ll find something valuable in this blog post. Because it’s about more than just solving problems.
It’s about showing that:
When we built our anet.360 smartphone-based solution, people assumed it was “just another app.” Nope. It’s… complicated. And of course, the big guys - like Apple - make it even more complicated.
Short version? It sucks to build and maintain.
We use integrations from different software providers, which means every change introduces potential issues. Not small ones. Not “take a painkiller and move on” ones. More like “you need an entire pharmacy” pain.
The worst part? Some of the software providers we have a subscription with just don’t care.
Here’s a real example: We had an issue with a key component from DelightVR, because we integrated their solution into our product. We’re paying customers, spending around €1,200/ year. But when we reached out for support, their response was?
"Due to the overwhelming amount of support requests we are currently facing, we have decided to only answer questions from our paying customers for now. If you’ve subscribed to a free tier, you can still utilise our documentation. We hope you understand that our resources are limited. :)"
Its up to you how you interpret this message so I leave it there. We rely on third-party tools - but if something breaks, it’s still our product, and it’s on us to fix it. So we pick up the phone and answer to emails.
Companies believe that if you provide software, you can offer the same level of support as Amazon or Google. Or they think because Google or Amazon gives it to you for ‘free’, it means we can do that too; after all, it's a software, right?
NOOOOO.
And to make things even harder - when you’re running a startup, especially one with experimental technology, you’re treated differently. You have to prove yourself in ways that an established company never does, even if your product is objectively better. Why? I don’t know. Here’s a simple example:
If Microsoft Word crashes - a product that’s been around forever - you grumble, maybe send a crash report, use autosave, and move on.
If our app doesn’t work for a minute? We got a call straight away.
That’s just the reality. Established companies get the benefit of the doubt. Startups? Every hiccup feels like an existential threat. But that’s part of the game. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to prove, over and over again, that you’re not just another startup with a ‘cool idea’ - you’re building something that works.
When you’re a small company or startup, there is no way you can provide that level of service as the big guys. Even as a scale-up, it’s still nearly impossible. To put this in context, running a full-scale customer experience team costs… well a lot of money. Imagine passing that cost onto your customers!
Let me tell you my recent experience with Apple. We purchased an Apple Vision Pro through a reseller from Holland. It arrived on time with no issues. Brilliant partner - .
But when I started using it, at some point, the window bar and close button disappeared. See the video below.
What does that mean? You can open new tabs, but you cannot move or close them!
So, I contacted Apple support. That’s when my nightmare began.
A month later, they finally came back with a solution! 🎉
Since I am in Hungary and Apple doesn’t have an official store here, they suggested to visit an Apple Store in Vienna during my business trip.
So thoughtful! But one problem…Apple Vision Pro isn’t sold in Austria.🤦🏼
I arrived at the store, and the staff were excited because they had never seen one in real life before! So, in a way, I made their day. You are welcome, Apple. 💪🏻
What was Apple’s final recommendation? If I travel to Germany in a few weeks for another business trip, I should bring the device with me because it’s officially sold there. (Of course I have nothing else to do)
This is APPLE. A trillion-dollar company. And they have no clue how to handle a real support case for one of their most premium products. (Credit to them to ease my pain, they gave me a Beats Headphones for free.)
One of the hardest lessons in business? It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. If it affects your customer, it’s your problem. And here’s the thing - accepting your mistakes is hard. You know that feeling in your gut when, deep down, you realise by understanding their point of view and how they see the same situation, they are right. But what makes it even harder? If your company culture isn’t built on asking tough questions about your own products and decisions.
If you do have that culture - where the focus isn’t on pride but on finding the right solution—it gets a bit easier. Not the feeling itself; that gut punch is the same. But your response? That changes. Instead of reacting defensively, you learn to focus on fixing things. That’s why we try to build a culture where we encourage open, constructive discussions with our clients - problem analysis, not blame analysis. Because playing the blame game doesn’t fix anything. Understanding what went wrong and working together to solve it? That does.
It takes time, patience, and a certain level of courage to build a company like that. A no-nonsense approach is never easy. Why? Because it requires people with the same attitude, the same accountability, and the same level of responsibility. And that’s not always easy to find.
But in the long run? It pays off.
With anet.360, we ran into some serious issues. After an iOS update, customers reported:
For our customers, this wasn’t a minor inconvenience. Some needed anet.360 for FORS approval, which can be tricky. Frustration? High. Confusion? Sky-high. Patience? Running out.
To give you a bit more context, Apple frequently updates how media elements (e.g., video players) are handled in iOS, particularly regarding security, performance, and UI constraints. These updates required us to adjust the video size and position according to Apple's latest documentation. As a result, some users have experienced quality issues on iPhone devices. This is due to the requirements of the iOS updates. Android devices, particularly Google Pixel phones, utilise more flexible media players that have not been impacted by these changes. Since then we solved this problem and our clients got their FORS approval with our product!
However, building a robust customer support team isn't just about hiring a few representatives; it's a significant investment, especially for small businesses. To say that you are a customer-centric company is one thing - to do it is a whole different ballgame. You have to prepare to spend - even if you are a small company. If you want to win back customer trust, there is no shortcut.
As they say - Trust walks to you, but it leaves on a horse. And fast.
I learned a great deal from FIXATE Founder and Customer Support expert Karl Evans about what would it take to build a 10 star customer service, but that’s another blogpost.
The issue is building a robust customer support system - not just FAQ’s - that provides the customer with helpful information across the different customer touch points is far from easy or cheap.
Let's break down some of the costs:
For small businesses, these expenses can quickly add up, making it challenging to provide the level of support expected from industry giants like Amazon or Google.
We could have said, "It's Apple’s fault." After all, Apple’s constant changes were the root cause. But blaming Apple wouldn’t help our customers.
So, we focused on what we could control:
There’s one more thing I’ve learned, and it’s often left unsaid:
You need your clients to work with you. Solving tough issues isn’t a one-sided process.
No matter how committed you are, you can’t solve a problem alone if the other side doesn’t engage. We fully understand that when something breaks or doesn’t work as expected, frustration is natural. But if a company is genuinely trying to solve the issue - offering support, proposing solutions, and showing up—it’s only fair that clients meet them halfway.
Because if a business offers multiple ways to help and a client doesn’t respond or ignores those efforts, it’s not fair to say the product or service “isn’t good.” That judgment misses the full picture. True problem-solving requires active participation on both sides. And when that happens - when trust and communication are mutual - it’s incredible what can be fixed.
But solving problems isn’t just about testing and fixing software. Sometimes, the best approach is showing up in person. It’s not strictly a quality assurance issue, but we also discussed with our reseller partner, Steven Zwinkels from Hummingbird Logistics Services, the importance of visiting our clients. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but when it is, it’s the best way to show our commitment.
Not just with words but with actions. You need a partner like Steven and his team, who share the same passion for excellence and strong business principles.
Of course, customers weren’t thrilled that there was a problem in the first place. But they saw that we were doing everything possible to fix it. And that built trust.
We also walked away with some key lessons:
Why this matters?
Problems are inevitable. How you handle them is what defines you.
A strong QA and customer experience strategy isn’t about avoiding issues completely (that’s impossible). It’s about catching them early, fixing them fast, and making sure the same mistakes don’t happen twice.
We don’t just patch problems. We learn from them.
Most businesses think customer support is about fast response times. And sure, that’s important. But true customer experience is about:
Mistakes leave scars. But scar tissue makes you stronger. If you embrace the lessons that come from tough moments, your company will be better for it.
So next time something breaks?
📞 Pick up the phone.
📧 Answer the email.
💬 Respond to the WhatsApp.
Because trust isn’t built in the good times.
It’s built in the tough ones—when things go wrong, when mistakes happen, and when customers see that you’re not just another company hiding behind an email. Startups don’t have the luxury of customer goodwill. Every issue is a test of trust. But when you handle problems the right way, even setbacks can turn into opportunities.
And this doesn’t just apply to customer service. The way you handle challenges - whether with customers, partners, or investors- shapes how people see you in the long run.
Business isn’t just about selling products; it’s about building relationships that last. I believe that customers remember who showed up when things got tough, just like great partners and investors remember the ones who take responsibility instead of making excuses.
And that’s the real takeaway.
Yes, startups have to prove themselves more than the big guys. Yes, it’s frustrating. But it’s also an advantage. Because when you take responsibility, fix problems with urgency, and build a culture that values solutions over excuses—people remember.
And that’s how you build not just a product, but a company people trust.
How do you see your customers now? Maybe this is an opportunity to look at your business, your customer service, and your approach to trust through a different lens.
